Page 61 of Wolf Bound

Grunting, I roll and spring to my feet. I look down at what’s left of the shirt I’m wearing and quickly pull it over my head. Now standing in a plain black sports bra, I throw the damaged shirt to the side, wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and keep my eyes on Remi.

“Pru, that’s enough. You’re—” Ryker starts to say from the sidelines.

“Shut up, Ryker!” I yell, silencing him.

I don’t have enough time to worry about the look on his face when I say it. Instead, I’m too focused on the she-wolf that’s circling me and the vibrating power building in my chest and limbs. I feel my eyes shift into wolf form, and I know they’re now glowing bright-green. I sense the wolf side of my subconscious take over mine, and I’m unable to stop the grin that appears on my face.

My wolf is in charge now, and she’s ready to fight.

My body springs forward and in rapid-fire succession, delivers two blows to Remi’s head and face. While she’s still recovering, I wrap my hands around the back of her neck and force her chest forward at the same time I bring my knee up, ramming it into her middle.

She’s hunched over trying to catch her breath, and even though now would be a good time to attack again, I don’t. I want her to be able to fight back when I do.

Remi is breathing hard when she straightens. “Good. Now it’s a fair fight.” She smirks, her eyes now glowing in wolf form too. Unlike Ryker’s gold or my green wolf eyes, Remi’s are a vibrant silvery-blue.

She snarls before launching herself at me again, and I barely feel her fist connect with my cheek or the second blow to my stomach. I retaliate with my own punches and kicks to her body.

I grab hold of her arm when it flies in my direction and use the momentum behind her swing to flip her over my shoulder. I allow my body to fly back with her, and we roll multiple times onto the mat.

When we finally stop spinning, I find myself positioned behind her. I wrap my arms around her slender neck and apply pressure, slowly choking the air out of her.

I feel the strength and power seeping out of me as I hold onto Remi, and I also hear the voices all around us, but I don’t understand what they’re saying. I’m too focused on getting my opponent to surrender. Remi still struggles against my hold, and I apply more pressure to her airway. I watch her hands, waiting for her to tap out.

It feels like forever when she finally bangs her hand on the mat. I remove my arms from around her neck and roll out from beneath her body weight. When I stand, my legs are shaky with adrenaline, and I’m out of breath.

The room is still silent as I glance around at the people who stand there. Everyone looks at me with shock and wonder on their faces, and honestly, I understand why. They think since I can’t shift into my wolf, I’m weaker than them. But they just learned that isn’t the case. I’m just as strong as they are, whether or not I can shift.

The proud and total look of astonishment on Ryker’s face makes me break into a big grin, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m running across the mat and launching myself at him. I wrap my legs around his middle, and my arms circle his neck. I hold him close when he spins us around. The room erupts into cheers and laughter as they watch us.

“I hated every second of that,” he tells me as I slide down his body and stand in front of him, “but you were absolutely amazing.”

“I let my wolf take over and…” I shrug not needing to explain further since he witnessed what went down.

“Are we sure we want you to learn how to shift?” Remi has a slight limp as she comes up behind us. “She’s kind of a brutal bitch,” Remi says, referring to my wolf and wincing as she touches her ribs.

“Seriously.” Ranger nods his head in agreement. “The power that was coming off of you when you were in the ring was intense.”

“Of course it was, she’s a powerful fucking alpha wolf!” Ransom cheers and I high-five his out-reached hand.

Some of the people loitering around hear Ranger, and they shout and nod, approving his comment. Their reaction makes my face heat up some. Regardless of the fact I’m not their alpha now, they still look at me as a leader, and that thought makes my stomach flip with nerves.

I duck my head quickly, turning toward Remi. “Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was going to happen.” I wince when I see her busted lip that mirrors my own.

“Shut up. I was the one who punched first.” She grins at the thought. “That was a good punch, though.”

“Yes, it was.” I laugh. “Hopefully we all heal quick—”

The sound of a blood-curdling scream echoes through the house, piercing my eardrums. Even without wolf shifter hearing, someone could have heard it from miles away.

My heart skips a beat, and my stomach flips when I watch as everyone sprints out of the room. With Nicolai’s threat looming over my head, I’m afraid of what we’re going to find upstairs.

27

Ryker

Sawyer and Avery found her hanging from a tree on the edge of the property when they were on patrol. She had been strung up with her hands tied behind her back, and her feet were bound. Her bound limbs weren’t necessary since she had been killed before they hung her by her neck. The deep claw marks that extended ear to ear were clearly the cause of death.

Hallie was only twenty-three years old. Her usually tan skin is pale, and her once vibrant hazel eyes stare lifelessly back at us. Blood and debris are stuck in her curly blonde hair, and her clothes are covered in dirt.

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